Alright guys. I think it’s pretty safe to say that navigating through the working world isn’t super-easy and isn’t really fun all the time.
There are tons of rules and so many different personalities that we have to deal with, so having a super-successful career isn’t something that’s just handed to you.
You have to work at it.
You have to work your butt off, really.
But eventually, and with some help, it’s something that’s totally achievable.
So I sat down and put together a list of big career mistakes that we should try to avoid.
A lot of these come from straight-up personal experience, so I’ve learned a lot of these the hard way.
Learn from these career mistakes and don’t make them yourselves!
Related Reading: How To Make A Career Change Like A Boss
Book Recommendation (FREE with Audible Trial): Corporate Survival Guide For Your Twenties
55 Biggest Career Mistakes of Your Life:
- Assuming that you know everything
- Forgetting to network
- Not being prepared for meetings
- Ignoring the value of business cards
- Engaging in office drama
- Arriving to meetings late
- Not asking for more work when you’re bored
- Being satisfied doing the minimum amount of work necessary
- Not sharing your career goals with your leader
- Not reading up on your industry
- Forgetting to make a LinkedIn page
- Over-sharing personal stories at work
- Burning bridges when leaving a job
- Dressing unprofessionally
- Not proof-reading your e-mails
- Believing that you’re going to be a VP right out of college
- Not seeing the value in entry-level positions
- Not learning from your mistakes and failures
- Failing to seek out a mentor
- Thinking that once you choose a job field, you’re stuck with it forever
- Not keeping an updated resume at all times
- Failing to join associations and groups pertaining to your industry
- Being a negative person
- Not taking initiative and turning down all new projects
- Forgetting to thank people who help you
- Not asking for help when you need it
- Not speaking up when you’re overwhelmed with your workload
- Trying to convince yourself that you love your job when you don’t
- Overestimating your abilities and not being honest about them
- Turning down training courses
- Not keeping track of all your accomplishments
- Making career decisions for anyone other than yourself
- Not actively looking for a job when you’re not happy with the one you have
- Thinking that it’s too late in life to change careers
- Making premature judgements of others
- Over-promising results, and then failing to deliver
- Not having a system for managing e-mails
- Failing to understand when and how you’re most productive
- Assuming that everyone around you thinks the same way you do
- Failing to accept diversity as an asset to your team
- Not caring how your actions affect other people
- Having an emotional IQ of zero
- Not asking questions
- Making decisions that impact others without consulting with them first
- Believing that you need to be an a-hole to be taken seriously
- Taking jobs just for the money
- Not sharing your knowledge with others
- Letting your ego guide your decisions
- Not thinking big-picture
- Complaining about problems instead of offering solutions
- Failing to embrace change
- Letting new technology intimidate you
- Not pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone
- Failing to give yourself time to re-charge
- Not standing up for what you’re worth
Any others?! Feel free to share your thoughts below!
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Seriously such good tips and advice! thank you for sharing!
Fabulous list, and comprehensive! Being in my professional career for 10 years now, I can see many of your points valid and so important not to make or at least be hyper-aware of.
This is a very helpful article. LinkedIn profile is really necessary, that I knew. Thanks for sharing this knowledge. 🙂
I loved this, just what I needed to read today. The networking one is my #1. It makes such a huge difference.
Love this list. I love how you talk about networking. I don’t think we realize how important this is because if you’re not trying to connect with others in the work place and within your career, it’ll be hard to make more connections in your field! Growing your network is how you can make a lasting impression and use your network to your advantage down the road. Thanks so much for this post!
Great tips! Need to make sure I don’t do any of these… lol
Good List! I am actually just coming out of a job (3 days left!), and although I have loved it, there were things that I would have liked to be different. However, after reading this list I cringed a couple times and thought “I could have done more of that … ” or “Maybe I should not have done that ….” The learning curve never ends. Really like your blog though, and all of the career advice you have!
These are great tips and reminders for the working world, in general. I currently write and design at home, so I’m constantly pushing myself outside of my boundaries. I just dealt with fighting for my worth and it paid off in the end. Thanks for sharing!
This is a great list, and a cute blog! I am working from home now while I finish school and I love it. I can write and do things I love now while working toward a career I know I will enjoy.
This is a great list! I love 47 and 49 sharing is caring and the “big picture” is so big it needs to be looked at often!
This is a great list!
Wow – such wonderful tips and advice… I’ve been working for a very, very long time and unfortunately I have learned some of these the hard way! Great post!
I think the thing to remember is that having a job is a privilege. Too many people take them for granted. Then they hit middle age, something happens, and they realize they are our of work. Keeping up your resume is very important.
Recharging…That may be the most important one for me!
WOW, your list is right on! Every single friggin one!
Yes, yes, yes! #7 and #15 are my favorites. I’m a copyeditor, so I really need to make sure I’m proofreading my emails!
Great tips! I’ve been guilty of a few of these in the past.
This is filled with great advice! As I just started my full time career a month or so ago, I’m anxious to do everything I can to better my career! Thanks 🙂
If I could “Amen” every single one of these 55 points, I would. Every single one hits home and needs to be ingrained in the minds of every single aspiring careeranista!
Coming Up Roses
These are all really great tips. I think each and every one hits home and how to act professionally. Phew those are a lot of big mistakes to make!
What a great, spot-on list! I love the point about proofing your emails. So important.
Number 2 and 4 immediately caught my eye. Networking and business cards seem old school but they are really valuable. It can be scary or intimidating for an introvert but it’s so worth it.
I’ve Definitely made some of these mistakes! But then again, who hasn’t!! Networking is SO important!
Wow, I love the list especially #43. We are often scared to ask questions fearing people will think we are done, when that’s not true. Asking questions is a smart thing! Thanks for sharing!
Just what I was looking for!
Absolutely love this list! Truthfully, I have been guilty of a few.. I think everyone has at least one object on this list to improve on. People are so used to complaining about the job that they are in instead of really communicating real solutions. Thanks for sharing!
This is a great list. Very comprehensive! I agree that staying out of any drama is always a good idea, no matter what your career looks like. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent list. I think you covered all the bases!
Great list! Thanks for sharing. I shared on LinkedIn and Twitter, too.
Those are great things to keep in mind.. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
—DT | Here I Scribble
#55 is the best! You have to make sure you advocate for yourself and know what you are worth!
Thanks! Not just pertinent to the younger Generation 🙂 I see some I already do but others have RFI – Room for Improvement.
wow, such an awesome post! thanks so much :)xx, kenz
http://sincerelykenz.com/shine/
These are really good reminders (and I have been guilty of some now and then!). Thank you!
This is such a neat list! Thanks for sharing it – I feel that its really easy to forget many things, both big and small once we enter our careers. With less time for introspection, it becomes difficult to manage a lot of the things that we’re tasked, and so it’s definitely important to take the time to take care of ourselves!
Great advice! Thanks for all the good tips! Many can learn from this!
Thank you very much for the list) I guess everybody could pick everything they believed was the most meaningful to them at a present career step. I started making notes after a quick view thinking I would note down a couple points and ended up with a list of about 15!
I think the idea of getting help and mentoring when needed will be the most important one for me now – I am going through a stage when I am trying to learn how not to feel over-responsible for all tiny things around and to get valuable advice from the experts I am lucky to have contact with. Now I feel on the right path) Thank you again!
That is so true! Finding a mentor isn’t easy but it is really valuable. It doesn’t even have to be someone in the same sector. It also has to be someone realistic but not pessimistic 🙂
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Love this! I underwent a massive career change this year and I feel like all of these are so relevant!
Wow that was Beautiful and assorted…
Aka sincere Carter
Too never holding out..
Love this, Kayla! This is all so so true, I can absolutely relate to a ton of these. I’m currently in a transition period where I’m sort of switching careers and a lot of these are so relevant to what I’ve experienced. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
great tips, i note this on my desktop for make me remember about that. Thanks for sharing
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Yeah, I’ve committed some of those.